Warmth and Comfort
by deanangst
Summary: The Team takes care of Eliot after an accident.


For ziplockeddaze who asked for:

Leverage, Hardison/Parker/Eliot, warmth and comfort

Disclaimer: I own nothing, no harm intended. Just showing my love of the show.

Warmth and Comfort 

They all watched in horror as the eroding hillside gave way and the two battling men tumbled out of sight. Nate rushed forward in time to watch as the layer of ice that had formed on the surface of the pond cracked allowing the two men to slip beneath the frigid waters surface. 

"Eliot!" he screamed, as he scrambled down the side of the hill, his designer dress shoes too slick to provide purchase on the sandy slope. Sophie drew Parker toward her, the blond thief stood frozen in wide eyed shock. Hardison ran past the girls, the emergency blankets from the trunk of the car were clenched tightly in his hands. 

Hardison's passing snapped Parker out of her daze and she moved forward, Sophie at her side. Both women watched as the Nate and Alec helped to pull a water logged Eliot onto the bank. The man that the hitter had been fighting was already on his knees coughing up water. Eliot swayed on his feet for a moment before doubling over and trying to expel the water from his lungs. 

They watched as Alec moved to wrap a blanket around Eliot's shoulders but Nate waved him off. Reaching up Nate thumbed on his com. "Sophie, I need you and Parker to bring the car down here. There is a dirt road cut off about a half a mile up." 

"We'll be there is a few minutes Nate." Sophie acknowledged as she drug Parker back to the waiting car. 

"Is he going to be okay?" Parker asked as she buckled herself into the passenger seat. 

"This is Eliot, Parker, he's always okay." Sophie replied, even if she wasn't so sure about the statement herself. Turning the heat to full blast Sophie carefully navigated the icy road; they couldn't afford any delays that an accident might cause. 

Leverage Leverage 

Forcing Eliot to sit should have been harder, but the icy water had stolen the hitter's usual strength. Alec could see ice crystals already forming in Eliot's hair. Reaching out with both hands Alec pulled his friends hair back and began to wring out the excess water. Nate was busy unlacing Eliot's boots when he spoke. 

"Hardison, help me out here, we gotta get him out of these wet clothes before we can start warming him up." 

"Sure man." Hardison nodded as he moved around so he was now in front of Eliot. He didn't think it would be this hard to remove a jacket from someone that wasn't putting up a fight, but Eliot's uncontrollable shivering and heavy limbs were working against him. By the time Sophie and Parker arrived they had managed to remove Eliot's boots, jacket, and layered shirts. They had given up trying to salvage the tee- shirt. Instead using Eliot's own pocket knife they split the garment open and tossed the remains onto the growing pile of clothing on the ground. It took both Nate and Alec to bring Eliot back to a standing position. The hitter leaning heavily against Alec for support as the younger man held the blanket tightly around the hitter's shoulders. 

Sophie threw the car into park and didn't bother cutting off the engine before rushing to help, Parker beating her to their friends by mere seconds. 

"Where did the other man go?" Sophie asked. 

Nate spared a glance to confirm the opposing muscle was indeed missing. "He most likely headed back to wherever he stashed his own vehicle. Parker, grab the other blanket and drape is across the back seat. Hardison, we'll get his jeans off before we get him in the car, okay?" 

"mm mm ain't touching m' jeans." Eliot mumbled but they just ignored him. They would deal with the repercussions later; right now the important thing was getting the man warm. 

In the end it was Parker who managed to unbuckle the silver western buckle and unfasten Eliot's Jeans. Hardison was able to grasp Eliot's hands to prevent the man from interfering with Parkers work as she tugged the pants down past his knees. Once Eliot was seated Parker finished removing the frozen denim, allowing Sophie to add the jeans to the pile of wet clothing already waiting in the trunk. 

Alec hurried over and climbed into the backseat behind Sophie who was now riding shotgun. Tugging the blanket that Eliot was sitting on the Hacker positioned Eliot in the center of the seat. Parker climbed in next so that she and Hardison were in a position that allowed them to, for lack of better words, snuggle close to the hitter and share their warmth. Alec shrugged out of his own coat tossing it into the floorboard where it could provide a little warmth for Eliot's exposed feet. 

The blanket that Eliot had been wrapped in was now stretched out to cover all three of the backseat passengers. Forgoing seatbelts Alec turned, resting his back against the locked door to his right. He pulled Eliot closer, turning him until Eliot's back was secure against Alec's side in hopes of his own body heat warming Eliot's kidneys thereby helping to warm his blood supply. Parker twisted in her own seat, pulling Eliot's legs and Hardison's jacket onto her lap before leaning sideways to snuggle against the trembling man. 

"Thanks darlin'" Eliot mumbled finding enough strength to wrap his arms around her thankful for the warmth and comfort his friends were providing. Dropping his head back to rest against Alec's shoulder Eliot let his eyes drift closed. 

"How long until we make it to the hotel man….He's still shivering bad." Alec called out to Nate. 

"Shivering is good Alec…means his body is trying to warm up, not shut down." Nate answered, but everyone felt the car surge as Nate increased speed. 

"m' fine." Eliot grumbled. 

"Yeah…sure you are." Nate and Sophie replied in unison. 

Leverage Leverage 

The next time Eliot managed to force his eyes open he was laying in bed, in a roadside motel that looked like it was frozen in the 70's. Frozen ..he felt like he was an expert at that. Eliot huffed out a laugh catching the attention of the other people in the room. 

"Hey! You're awake." Parker chirped skipping in her unique way over to the bed. 

"Wasn't asleep..I don't sleep." Eliot replied. 

Nate snorted as he poured the contents of the pot on the stove into a mug. 

"Yeah, then explain the fact that you've had your eyes closed for the last 5 hours." Alec' voice rumbled in Eliot's ear. 

Eliot jumped as much as he would allow himself. It turned out the comfortably warm pillows he had been resting against were in fact Hardison chest. Paying closer attention to the current situation Eliot found himself resting in the V of Hardison's legs. His back pressed into Hardison's chest, and the younger man's arms wrapped around Eliot's waist. At some point they had dressed him in blue plaid flannel pajamas. Parker and Alec were dressed similarly. 

Somehow he couldn't find it in himself to gripe about his current situation. Not when Parker gave him her most innocent smile as she slid into bed beside them, or when Alec tightened his grip slightly securing Eliot closer to his body. 

Nate picked up a mug that was waiting on the kitchenette counter and handed it to Sophie. The grifter accepted the cup then joined the 'Kids' on the bed, Nate following a few paces behind. Holding out the mug to Eliot she waited until he had grasped it with both hands, not missing the tremor in his limbs that proved he was still feeling the effects of the cold water. She allowed her own fingers to linger for a moment until he met her gaze, letting her know he was going to be okay without saying a word. 

Lifting the mug Eliot inhaled and closed his eyes before taking a small sip of the lukewarm liquid. "MMM, Hershey's, the good stuff." He replied with a smile on his face, a hot chocolate mustache adorning his upper lip. 

"Only the best for family Eliot, only the best." It was Nate that spoke the words but the others had acknowledged the feeling that day in their own unique ways. 

The End


End file.
